Wood Guide for the Beginning Wood Carver

A beginning carver will often pick up the most convenient piece of wood, maybe a scrap of lumber, or a piece of driftwood and pull out the trusty pocketknife and begin carving. Often the beginning carver becomes frustrated with the lack of progress. The wood is either too hard, which results in a great deal of work with little results, or too soft in which case the wood is quickly cut but no detail can be obtained because the wood crushes under the knife blade rather than cutting.

The type of carving you do will influence the type of wood which is best to use. A power carver will often use different wood than a hand tool carver. With power you can more easily carve a hard wood and get great detail while the same hard wood might be very frustrating for a hand carver.

SOFT WOODS

Basswood
For a hand carver the most popular wood to use is Basswood and for good reason. The wood is relatively soft, yet because it is close grained it is able to hold detail very well. It is non toxic. The wood is white although there are occasional streaks of brown in it. There is little difference between the sapwood and and the heartwood.

Because basswood has little grain pattern it may look bland, and as a result it is often painted. If, however, one applies a mix of mineral spirits and boiled linseed oil to the finished carving and then wipes off the excess after of few minutes it will seal the carving and bring out the grain.

Basswood is related to lime which is popular in Europe and has very similar characteristics. The best carving basswood is obtained from the northern states such as Wisconsin and Minnesota. Basswood is widely available in hobby shops in small blocks or in cutouts that are available with a pattern. These are good for the beginner to try but the wood is more expensive purchased in these venues. If you enjoy carving, your should find suppliers that will provide good quality wood at reasonable prices. There are many on the internet.

Pine
Northern white pine is another good choice. It has similar characteristics to basswood, being relatively soft and easy to carve and widely available at reasonable cost. Sugar pine is also an excellent carving wood.